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G. G. SCHROEDER.

TRACTION ENGINE. No. 447,978. PatentedMar. 10, 1891..-

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. TRACTION ENGINE.

No. 447,978. Patented Mar 10, 1891.

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G. G. SCHROEDER.

TRACTION ENGINE.

No. 447,978. Patented Mar. 10, 1891.

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G. G. SOHROEDER.

TRACTION ENGINE.

No. 447,978. Patented Mar. 10, 1891.

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. G. G; SGHROEDER. TRACTION ENGINE.

No. 447,978. Patented Mar. 10, 189-1.

UNITED STATES .PA-TEN'T ()rricn.

GEORGE G, ,SCHROEDER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 447,97 8, di1ted March 10, 18911 Application filed August 28, 1890. Serial No. 363,379- (No model.)

To all 'whom' it-may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE G. SCHROEDER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traction-Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invent-ion, such as will enable. others skilled in the art to which it apper tains to make and 'use the same, reference bemg had to the accompanying drawings, and to-the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is in the nature of a tract-ionengine, and has for its object to improve such engines in such a manner as to make them more efiective in operation when passing over rough'and uneven ground.

With this'object in view my invention consistsin the improved construction, arrangement, and combination ofparts hereinafter described, and afterward specifically pointed out in. the-claims h'ereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of atraction-engineconstructed in accordance with my invention, parts of the platform being'broken away and theseat omitted. Fig. 2 is a view of the same in side elevation, the side bar of the frame being broken away, its rear bar being shown in vertical section, and the pitman and sliding head being shown in dotted lines." Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the engine, the parts being in the position they assume when the central portion of the track over which the engine is passing is elevated above the sides thereof. Fig. 4 is a view similar. to .Fig. 3, the parts being changed, however, to the position they assume when the central portion of the trackover which the engine is passing is depressed below the sides thereof. Fig. 5 is a view of the rear end of the engine, the traction-wheel and side bars of the frame being shown in transverse vertical section, the rear bar of the frame being omitted, and the rest of the enginc being shown in elevation. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of one of my compen-' sating driving or sprocket wheels detached from the engine. Fig. 7 is a view of the same in front or rear elevation. Fig. 8 is a detail view showing the'ccmpensating driving mechanism and traction-wheel supporting spring and frame in side elevation and upon an enlarged scale. Fig. 9-is a similar view to Fig. 8, showing the parts in a modified form.

Like mletters of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in-the various figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A is the frame of the machine, consisting of side bars a a" and rearbar a", the side bars being converged toward each other until they. join at the extreme front end, where an upright bar A" is swiveled. Above 'theframe this bar is provided with a hand-wheel bar or other suitable means, as at A9", whereby it may be rotated on its axis. Below this frame this bar is formed at B as afork, in which is jourmounted a roller 1), which bears against the under side of an arc-shaped track 12'", secured under the platform and frame-work.

. Upon the frame-work is supported a boiler 0, having the parts usual thereto and of any desired well-known construction, the cylinders c 0 being mounted at the sides and the piston-rods 0"" projecting therefrom in a rearward direction. Sliding heads of ordi-' nary'construction connect these piston-rods with the pitmen-D l)", which at their rear ends. are connected to cranks d r on a shaft E,'extending across the machine and mounted in suitable bearings depending from the side bars of the front.

()n the shaft E are secured rigidly sprocket-wheels F F, over which pass drive-chains (l G" to sprocket-wheels ll ll",-rigidly secured to a shaft 1, journaledin bearings ii" in the inner bars J J" of a heavy metal frame-work K, which consists, besides said inner side bars, of outer side bars j j," and top barj and horizontal projecting side bars I; 7. The shaft I carries the traction-wheel L, which is rigidly secured to it between the inner side bars J J, and its bearings i i are mounted to slide vertically in ways in the inner side bars and arranged belowspiral or other springs M M in said ways, secnred at their upper. cndsby nuts mmf.

The horizontal projecting bars 7.: Id, heretofore mentioned, form axles projecting beyond the side bars of the frame and, secured -An-e,n giue constructed as hereinbefore described would be operative and eifective upon a level road, the operation being readily understood by the description given; but if the road be rough and uneven the traction-wheel would at'times be respectively horizontally even with, higher, and lower than the supporting-wheels. As a conspicuous result of this the distance between shafts E and I, which carry the sprocket-wheels, will be variable and with an ordinary construction of sprocket-wheel and drive-chain would be impracticable, for

. the reason that if the chains were long enough to properly drive when the distance between these shafts is greatest they would be too loose when such" distance was shortened by reason of the changed position'of shaft I, due to the movement up and down of shaft I, and if said chains'were in length suitable to the shortest distances they would break when the distance was increased. To provide against such contingencies is one of the objects of my invention, and my approved means are as follows: The sprocket-wheels are each composed of a hub Q, spokes Q.', radiating therefrom, a band q, having slots q", through which the outer rods of such-spokes project, and a spring q around each spoke, having its innor-bearing against the inside of the rim or band. The band q is flexible and the springs are sufliciently strong to give tension enough to the drive-chain for driving. \Vhen any change takes place in the level of the trachon-wheel, and consequently the relative posit-ions of the two sprocket-wheelsare changed, thus increasing their distance apart, the

pressure of the drive-chains will cause the outer-sides of the bands on the sprocketwheels to move inward to a position somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 8, and when the wheels reassulne their, natural or normal positions, as shown in Fig.2, the springs being sufiicient to cause propertension of the drive ehains, as before stated, the springs M M" will always cause the axle of the traction-. wheel to assume its proper position and will always force it downward to-bring the traction-wheel into effective contact with the roadway.

In Fig. 0 I have. shown a modification wherein the movement of the traction-wheel up and down is guided in a circular track with the shaft E as a center, so that the distance between the shafts E and I is all the same, so that no lengtheningor shortening of the drive-chains is necessary. In this modification ordinary sprocketwheels are used, no

yielding bands or springs being necessary.

The operation will be readily understood by an inspection-o5 Fig. 9,- and it will be understood that in all;other respects an engine thus constructed will 'beth'e' same as that shown in the other figures.- lhe rims of the sprocket wheel s may'be cut orlapped at the ends,

if desired. I

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In atraction-engine, the combination of a main frame, a shaft journaled thereon in stationary bearings, a frame-work. secured to the main frame, having axial extensions and provided with yielding bearings for the traction-- wheel, and connections therefrom, substantially as described, as and for the purpose setforth.

2. Ina traction-engine, in combination with themetal frame consisting of inner and outer side bars, top bar, and projecting axles, substantially as set forth. p

3. In a traction-engine, a metal frame-work,

substantially as. described, consisting of the top bar, the inner side bars having slideways, the outer side bars, and the side projecting arms forming axles, as set forth. I

4. In a traction-engine, in combination,

supporting-wheels mounted on each side of.

the machine, a rigid metal frame-work, of

which the axle of these wheels forms part, and

as set forth.

6. A sprocket-wheel consisting of a hub, a yielding band, spokes extending radially from thehub through said band,.and springs for supporting said band against extreme inward pressure, as set forth.

7. A sprocket-wheel consisting of a hub, a slottedband, spokes rigidly secured to the hub and projecting radially throug h the slots in the band, and springs around the spokes hearing at their inner ends against the hub and at'their outer ends against the band, as set forth.

S. In combination, the main frame, the boiler secured therein, the traction-wheel- 'supporting frame, .and the brace-rods connected to each of these parts, respectively,

substantially as set forth.

10. In a traction-engine, the combination of 7 a main frame,ashaftjournaledin said frame, sprocket-wheels are maintained equidistant carrying on its ends sprocket-wheels, with a in all positions, substantially asdescribed. frame-work secured to said main frame and In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in provided with yielding bearings for the shaft presence of two witnesses.

of the traction-wheel, said shaft carrying on GEO. G. SCIIROEDER its ends sprocket-wheels connected to the Witnesses: sprocket-wheels of. the stationary shaft, and L.. MAKEHEY, I

means by which the onter peripheries of the L. STOERZER. 

